Free Web NovelChapter 164: Chapter 164: His Affection
However, Shi Lan’s confusion was soon cleared up.
In the video, Mu Tangfeng’s hands suddenly began to move, swaying slowly upward like a lithe snake. He spun up quickly from the ground, his body as light as a butterfly. The gentle music, paired with his supple body, dispelled his usual harsh aura. When he chanced a glance at the camera, his dark eyes shimmered, subtly conveying his affection.
The first scene was mostly of his back or just a fleeting glimpse, but in the second scene, he had changed into that red suit from last time and was facing the camera. The music abruptly turned fierce and intense, the drumbeat pounding. His movements began to accelerate—stretching his body, bending backward, lifting his leg high. Every pose hit the beat perfectly. His once-gentle eyes were now filled with fiery determination, and his movements, powerful yet infused with a certain softness, struck straight at the heart.
At the very least, Shi Lan found herself completely unable to look away.
In the third scene, he was still in the red suit, but the buttons had been loosened. A large expanse of his fair chest was exposed, the lines of his abs clearly defined. As he raised his hands, his waist was revealed, showing off taut abdominal muscles and the V-line that extended down before disappearing beneath his suit trousers.
If the first scene was meant to put the viewer at ease and the second was to capture their focus, then the third scene was all about quiet seduction and unabashed passion.
Shi Lan’s throat suddenly felt a little dry, and she licked her parched lips. As the music faded out, Mu Tangfeng knelt on both knees, facing the camera. He tilted his head back, his expression one of devout tenderness. Finally, he lowered his head slightly and placed a hand over his chest, as if expressing a kind of surrender.
At the same time, his suit jacket, which had been precariously perched on his body, finally slipped from his shoulders. It revealed his broad, fair shoulders and the lean, powerful muscles of his physique. The red jacket came to rest half-draped over his abdomen, obscuring an even more suggestive sight.
Shi Lan was already captivated by Mu Tangfeng’s dancing. As everyone knows, a good dance can easily stir the audience’s emotions, and she was no exception. Her gaze was fixed on him, her heart rising and falling with the music and his steps.
But this final scene was something she hadn’t expected at all. Caught completely off guard, her nose began to bleed uncontrollably.
Shi Lan felt a warmth around her nose. She raised a hand to touch it and came away with a smear of red.
’Who would have thought that one day I’d get a nosebleed just from watching a guy dance?’
Shi Lan suspected it was just because the winters on Yaoxing were too dry. She quickly tilted her head back to stop the bleeding. Lying on her bed and staring at the chandelier above, she felt a little ashamed.
’When did my self-control get so bad? I’ve seen so many handsome men, yet I can still be completely floored by sheer beauty.’
’But it was Mu Tangfeng’s fault, too. Who could have expected him to pull a stunt like that, wearing nothing at all under his red suit?’
’What a sullen peacock.’
Shi Lan grumbled inwardly. The recording device in the room started playing on a loop again, and she couldn’t stop her gaze from drifting back to it. Finally, her eyes fell on the tissue stuffed in her nose, and she hurriedly turned the device off.
But even though the device was off, the scene started replaying automatically in her mind.
Before turning on the recorder, Shi Lan had wondered if it might contain a movie or a show that Mu Tangfeng wanted to share. She never imagined it would be a video of him dancing himself, nor did she know he was such a good dancer.
Every movement was a fluid blend of strength and grace. The emotion in his eyes told a story—from initial caution, to a bold pursuit of love, and finally, to retracting all his thorns in devotion to that love.
Shi Lan felt that her nosebleed wasn’t just because he’d taken off his jacket. It was also because of the deep affection in his eyes. As the sole audience member outside the camera’s frame, she could feel the fiery passion within it all the more clearly and directly.
All this time, she had always felt that Mu Tangfeng’s affection for her was minimal, perhaps more like a child’s desire to win a toy from Jiang Xia. But this dance had given her a true glimpse into his heart.
His affection was more reserved, something he was too shy to speak of, yet he was willing to express it to her in this way.
Shi Lan covered her hot cheeks with her hands. ’Since Mu Tangfeng gave this recording to me, it must mean he danced this for me, right?’
’And he had me buy this recording device a long time ago. That means he’s had this idea since back then.’
Shi Lan’s heart was in turmoil. She lay on her bed for a long while, only snapping out of it when she heard the two men downstairs calling her name.
Regardless, she was grateful for their affection.
And she wouldn’t betray those feelings.
Shi Lan let out a long breath, threw away the blood-soaked tissue from her nose, went to the bathroom to wash her face, and then put away the recording device before heading downstairs.
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Mu Tangfeng had actually been filming that recording for several days. He was never satisfied with it, redoing the dance over and over again until he finally chose the best take to give to Shi Lan.
It was the mating dance that his Paradise Bird Clan was required to perform for their beloved partner, and he didn’t want it to have a single flaw.
He wasn’t sure if Shi Lan had even watched it, and he felt a little insecure. Of course, it wasn’t that he lacked confidence in his dancing; he just always felt that Shi Lan didn’t really like him.
She was more familiar and intimate with Jiang Xia. Even though he never said anything, any discerning person could see that Shi Lan was very tolerant of Jiang Xia’s advances.
Mu Tangfeng was very envious, and it was because of this that he was always finding fault with Jiang Xia and looking down on him.
However, he discovered that not long after he gave Lanlan the recording, she actually took the initiative to hold his hand.
When they were sweaty from running, she would take a towel to wipe Jiang Xia’s sweat, but she wouldn’t forget him either.
Even though he hadn’t said a thing...
He began to feel a little bit of affection from Shi Lan. It was faint, but it was no longer as distant and polite as before.
Mu Tangfeng found himself enjoying her concern. He couldn’t help but lower his head to make it easier for her to wipe his sweat, even pulling his collar open a bit in the process. It revealed a large expanse of his fair neck and collarbones, upon which glistening beads of sweat trickled down.
When Shi Lan’s gaze fell upon this sight, the final scene from his dance—the one where his jacket fell off—involuntarily appeared in her mind. Her cheeks grew slightly hot, but she forced herself to remain calm on the surface, roughly wiping him down with the towel.
Not to be outdone, Jiang Xia beside them copied him, and Shi Lan had no choice but to treat them equally and wipe him down as well.
Sensing that the two of them were planning to take off more clothes, she immediately pulled the towel away and said pointedly, "Go take a shower, you both reek of sweat."
Mu Tangfeng’s brow furrowed instantly. He hurriedly lifted his arm to sniff it, certain that he didn’t smell of sweat. On the contrary, his clothes carried the scent of the rose-scented laundry detergent from Shi Lan’s house.
But he was still worried about bothering Shi Lan with any smell, so he obediently went to take a shower.
Jiang Xia didn’t think much of it either and went to the other shower room.
Seeing that she had successfully diverted their attention, Shi Lan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She couldn’t help but start worrying ahead of time. ’If I really end up with five Beast Husbands in the future, how am I supposed to keep things balanced?’
However, this worry didn’t linger in Shi Lan’s mind for long before her train of thought was interrupted by Xiao Du’s words.
"Master, I’m sensing that energy again, the same kind as last time. It’s a bit weaker than the one on Black Star, but it’s definitely there. Should we go absorb it?"
Xiao Du might have been asking, but his tone was clearly eager and ready to go.
